They Won't Believe Me (1947)
Directed by Irving Pichel

Film Review

One of the better film noir offerings to come out of RKO, They Won't Believe Me is a masterfully constructed suspense thriller which takes most of its plot elements from James M. Cain's Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, whilst adding a few deliciously sly twists of its own.  The ingenious story was provided by Gordon McDonell, who had previously given Alfred Hitchcock the plot for one of his finest films, Shadow of a Doubt (1943), and slickly realised by Irving Pichel, a versatile actor-turned-director who seldom made a film anywhere near as good as this. 

Robert Young, best known for playing the lead in the 1970s television series Marcus Welby, M.D., is well-suited to play the morally ambiguous hero, bringing a touching fragility to a flawed character who is slowly but surely lured to his doom by events beyond his control (to say nothing of his over-active libido).  Here, the hero's fate is sealed by not one but three femme fatales, each convincingly portrayed by an eye-catching diva - Susan Hayward, Jane Greer and Rita Johnson.  Near the start of her illustrious career, Greer grabs the focus as the film's most complex and devious character, giving us a tantalising glimpse of her stunning turn in Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past (1947), which came out shortly after this film.  A typically sultry Susan Hayward is saddled with the more conventional femme fatale role, but she transcends the familiar archetype by giving her character a humanity and depth that is found only in the best films noirs of this period.  One of the great strengths of They Won't Believe Me is that all of the protagonists turn out to be very different from what we first expect.  The moral: never be taken in by first impressions.

In true film noir fashion, most of the story is related as an extended flashback, with a grandly staged courtroom drama providing an elegant framing device to open and close the film.  The accumulation of plot twists, ably supported by the compelling lead performances and some atmospheric camerawork and lighting, gradually ratchets up the tension, building to what we know from the outset will be a spectacular denouement - and we are not disappointed.  When the final surprise comes, it is with the panache, abruptness and cold barbarity of the guillotine blade - a merciful release from ninety minutes of almost unbearable suspense.  This is classic film noir at its most inventive and rewarding.

Film Synopsis

Larry Ballentine is on trial for murder.  After the case for the prosecution has been presented his defence lawyer calls him to the witness stand and asks him to recount the series of events that led to his arrest.  Ballentine begins by admitting that whilst married to wealthy heiress Greta he was pursuing an affair with another woman, Janice Bell.  When she discovered this, Greta made Ballentine an offer he could not refuse: in return for ending the affair, she would buy him a partnership in a successful securities firm in Los Angeles, where they would live in a remote ranch.  Although he no longer loves his wife, Ballentine accepts the deal, but it is not long before he has been drawn into another extra-marital affair, this time with a manipulative employee, Verna Carlson.  Overtaken by passion, Ballentine and Verna agree to elope together, but tragedy intervenes.  A road accident leaves Verna dead, burned beyond recognition, and her lover badly injured in hospital.  When Ballentine recovers, he is surprised to find that the dead woman in his car was mistakenly identified as his wife.  Ballentine sees a perfect opportunity to rid hmself of his troublesome spouse and steal her fortune.  But fate has another nasty surprise in store for him when he returns to his ranch...